At World Water Day the first SunGlacier Challenge has officially started in Muscat, Oman. 3 Omani and Dutch teams will compete coming 48 hours to see which device can get most water out of the air by using solar panels. Each team created a device, based on the philosophy to use simple and cheap Peltier elements for condensation. The 48 hours run will find out which different shapes, materials, constructions is the best combination. The lessons learned will be saved and used in next developments and events.
The devices are placed at the campus of the Middle East Desalination Research Center (MEDRC), a prestigious center for water research (especially desalination) in the Middle East. The results will be presented at the World Water Day Celebration at the Sultan Qaboos University on Sunday 25 March 2018. In between, the teams will take care of the devices, discuss about their gained insights and have a lecture session of Ap Verheggen at the PDO head quarter.
This new challenge is the pilot event of a 5 years programme with a yearly event. It aims to strengthen the development of water extraction from the air (by using solar energy), as part of the water supply cocktail. Wetskills Foundation, Ap Verheggen (SunGlacier) and Sultan Qaboos University initiated this programme. The initiators are very thankful towards the partners that stepped in: Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), Embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands in Oman, Middle East Desalination Research Center (MEDRC) and Oman Water Society.
More information: read the daily blogs, www.sunglacierchallenge.com and see some impressions:
